For now, Chatham-Kent's biggest homeless encampment is staying put

CBC

3 days ago

It remains unclear where people living in Chatham-Kent's largest homeless encampment, comprised of approximately 50 people, will end up.
For the time being, they'll stay put on the grounds of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Grand Avenue East in Chatham.
After meeting for several hours Monday night, the municipal council tweaked a series of encampment bylaw amendments for people living in tent communities on municipal property.
This includes a setback of where tents can go from residential properties. The distance is being increased from 10 metres to 100 metres away.
Any final vote on the bylaw — and where those living there will possibly be redirected to — was postponed until council's next session, planned for August 25.
"By the time we got ready, we were trying to make a decision … it was nearly 11:00 p.m.," Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff told CBC Radio's Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge on Tuesday.
"I don't remember having a council meeting go that long. We had to stop it by law."
WATCH | Chatham encampment near Thames River dismantled in July 2025:
Chatham-Kent encampment dismantled as Monday deadline passes
28 days ago
With the bylaw amendments, administration says there's one other location in the city that meets the majority of outlined criteria. Thames Grove Conservation Area is near the river, and not far south from the where the current encampment is.
The encampment was moved from downtown Chatham earlier this summer because of construction along the river's embankment. Many homeowners near the PUC property say they were blindsided by the arrival of the campers.
Canniff says it's one of the toughest decisions he's been involved in during his time as mayor.
"Certainly in every neighbourhood [it] has been moved to, [it] creates problems and outcry from the people near it. It's kind of like we're flying around on an airplane, looking for an airport and there isn't one. There is no airport."
There is some imminent housing support on the way in the municipality.
Roughly 50 tiny transitional cabins are about to open in Chatham. They're 100 square feet and include a bed, small refrigerator, microwave and climate control. People living in them will share bathrooms, laundry and kitchen space in a central building.
According to Canniff, the hope is that some of the people living in the encampment will be redirected there. However, not everyone will be able to make the transition.